Thursday, February 23, 2017

Astrophiz Podcast 28 is Out

Our feature interview is with Fiona Panther who is a PhD student and
the Joan Duffield Scholar at the Australian National University's
Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics in Canberra, Australia.
Fiona is using computational astrophysics and working on using peculiar
supernova to try and understand how positions are created in excess in
our Galaxy. Fiona also explains Fermi Bubbles

In ‘What’s up Doc?’ I tell you what to look for in the
night sky this week using naked eye, binoculars or telescopes, and all
the action is currently down near the horizon.

Tuesday, February 21, 2017

The Sky This Week - Thursday February 23 to Thursday March 2

The New Moon is Monday February 27. Venus
is bright low in the
twilight sky.
Mars is just above
Venus. Mars is close to Uranus on the 27th. The Moon forms a triangle with Mars and Venus on March 1. Jupiter and
the bright star Spica
are
close in the late evening
skies. Saturn is high in the morning sky.

The New Moon is Monday February 27.

Evening sky on Wednesday March 1 looking west as seen from Adelaide
at
20:18 ACDST (30 minutes after sunset). Venus, Mars and the crescent Moon form a triangle . The inset shows the telescopic view of Venus at this time.

Similar
views will be seen throughout Australia at the equivalent local time
(that is 30 minutes after local sunset, click
to embiggen).

Venus
is low in the
dusk sky although intensely bright. After being a feature of the evening sky
for so long, it is now rapidly heading towards the horizon and will soon be lost in the twilight.

It can be seen easily from somewhat
before half an hour after sunset to just after half an hour after sunset. It is
dazzlingly brilliant above the horizon in the early twilight and is a distinct crescent shape.

On the 28th the thin crescent Moon is nearby Venus, but will be hard to see in the twilight. The Moon forms a triangle with Mars and Venus on March 1. and the Moon is above Mars forming a line with Venus and Mars on the 2nd.

Mars is in the western evening skies in Pisces. Mars remains in a star
poor area but on the 26th and 27th Mars and Uranus are closer than a finger-with apart and easily seen together in binoculars and in medium power telescope eye-pieces. Unfortunately Mars and Uranus are getting close to the horiozn, so you will need to look around an hour after sunset, before the sky is fully dark. Still, Uranus is bright enough to spot as a dot in binoculars, although you will really need a telescope to bring out the blue-green colour of Uranus next to the red of Mars.

Mars was at opposition on May 22, 2016 and is still visibly dimming. While
still brighter than any of the nearby stars, it is much faded and not
immediately obvious, It is
no longer a modest telescope object. Mars is visible most of the evening
setting before midnight. In small telescopes Mars will be a
visible, but tiny, gibbous disk, however you are unlikely to see its
markings.

Late evening sky on Saturday February 25 looking east as seen from
Adelaide at 23:30 ACDST. Jupiter is now rising before midnight.
It is close to the bright star Spica. The inset shows the telescopic
view of Jupiter at 1:12 am as Europa is about to disappear nto eclipse. Similar
views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent
local time. (click
to embiggen).

Jupiteris rising just before midnight, but remains low to the
horizon this week and is still better in the early morning. It is close to the bright star Spica, the brightest
star in the constellation of Virgo. Jupiter is a good telescopic target
from around 1 am, and the dance of its Moons is
visible even in binoculars. The following Jupiter events are in AEDST.

Morning sky on Saturday February 25 looking east as seen from
Adelaide at 5:34 ACDST (90 minutes before sunrise). Saturn is
reasonably high above the horizon.

The inset
shows the telescopic view of Saturn at this time. Similar
views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent
local time (90 minutes before sunrise). (click
to embiggen).

Saturn
rises higher in darker morning skies this week. Saturn is now high
enough above eastern horizon to see easily. It continues to
climb into darker skies as the week progresses.

The constellation of Scorpio is a good guide to locating Saturn. The distinctive curl of Scorpio is easy to see above the
eastern horizon, locate the bright red star, Antares, and the look below
that towards the horizon, the next bright object is Saturn.
Mercury is lost in the twilight.

There are lots
of interesting things in the sky to view with a telescope. If you don't have a telescope, now
is a good time to visit one of your local astronomical societies open nights or the local planetariums.

Thursday, February 16, 2017

Mira nears Maximum

Stellaium view of the western horizon at astronomical twilight, the location of Mira is indicated by the circle.

Mira (omicron ceti),
a star in the constellation of Cetus the whale, is a long period
pulsating red giant and changes brightness from below naked eye
visibility to a peak of round magnitude
2 (roughly as bright as beta Crucis in the Southern Cross) in around
330 days. Mira is predicted to peak with maximum of 3.4 around 23
February.

This image is the first time I've been able to capture Mira this cycle. Mira, bespite being low to the horizon, is already quite bright, around at least magnitude 3.7 (close to the brightness of Baten Kaitos, zeta (ζ) Ceti. Unfortunately, as it approaches peak brightness on the 23rd, it comes closer to the horizon.

Wednesday, February 15, 2017

The Sky This Week - Thursday February 16 to Thursday February 23

The Last Quarter Moon is Sunday February 19. Venus
is prominent in the
twilight sky in the star poor regions of Pisces.
Mars is just above
Venus. Jupiter and
the bright star Spica
are
close in the late evening
skies. Saturn is high in the morning sky and is close to the crescent Moon on the 21st..

The Last Quarter Moon is Sunday February 19. The Moon is at apogee (when it is furthest from the Earth) at this time.

Evening sky on Saturday February 18 looking west as seen from Adelaide
at
21:09 ACDST (60 minutes after sunset). Venus and (now dim) Mars form a
line. The inset shows the telescopic view of Venus at this time.

Similar
views will be seen throughout Australia at the equivalent local time
(that is 60 minutes after local sunset, click
to embiggen).

Venus
is high in the
dusk sky and intensely bright. After being a feature of the evening sky for so long, it is now rapidly heading towards the horizon.

It can be seen easily from somewhat
before half an hour after sunset to an hour after sunset. It is dazzlingly brilliant above the horizon in the late twilight. Venus has been mistaken for flares or
landing aeroplanes it is so bright now.

Venus is in a very star poor field in Pisces and
is a distinct crescent shape in telescopes.

Mars is in the western evening skies in Pisces. Mars remains in a star
poor area.

Mars was at opposition on May 22, 2016 and is still visibly dimming. While
still brighter than any of the nearby stars, it is much faded and not
immediately obvious, It is
no longer a modest telescope object. Mars is visible most of the evening
setting before midnight. In small telescopes Mars will be a
visible, but tiny, gibbous disk, however you are unlikely to see its
markings.

Sky on Saturday February 18 looking east as seen from
Adelaide at 23:30 ACDST. Jupiter is now rising before midnight.
It is close to the bright star Spica. The inset shows the telescopic view of Jupiter at 2:32 am as Erupa appears from behind Jupiter. Similar
views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent
local time. (click
to embiggen).

Jupiteris rising just before midnight, but remains low to the
horizon this week and is still better in the early morning. It is close to the bright star Spica, the brightest
star in the constellation of Virgo. Jupiter is a good telescopic target
from around 1 am, and the dance of its Moons is
visible even in binoculars. The following Jupiter events are in AEDST.

Morning sky on Tuesday February 21 looking east as seen from
Adelaide at 5:17 ACDST (90 minutes before sunrise). Saturn is
reasonably high above the horizon and close to the Moon. The inset
shows the telescopic view of Saturn at this time. Similar
views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent
local time (90 minutes before sunrise). (click
to embiggen).

Saturn
rises higher in darker morning skies this week. Saturn is now high
enough above eastern horizon to see easily. It continues to
climb into darker skies as the week progresses.

The constellation of Scorpio is a good guide to locating Saturn. The distinctive curl of Scorpio is easy to see above the
eastern horizon, locate the bright red star, Antares, and the look below
that towards the horizon, the next bright object is Saturn. The crescent Moon is close to Saturn on Tuesday February 21.

There are lots
of interesting things in the sky to view with a telescope. If you don't have a telescope, now
is a good time to visit one of your local astronomical societies open nights or the local planetariums.

Monday, February 13, 2017

My Images of the Occultation of Regulus (11 February, 2017)

Occultation of Regulus, showing Regulus getting closer to the Moon from 11:20:44 until 11:42:37 ACSDT, just before disappearance. I had to overexpose the Moon to see image Regulus clearly, and have overlain a normally exposed image of the Moon for reference. Click to embiggen.

Animation of the frames in the previous panel, click to embiggen.

The Moon and Regulus at 11:43:20 I have zoomed in compared to the images above (click to embiggen as Regulus is harder to see due to the Moons light)

The Moon and Regulus at 11:43:38 with Regulus just touching the Moon's surface. (click to embiggen as Regulus is harder to see due to the Moons light)

After a disappointing morning, where comet 45P was completely clouded out, I was resigned to the occulataion of Regulus being clouded out. With intermittent cloud coming over, I set up the 4" Newtonian with my Canon IXUS in infinity to infinity mode of a 20 mm eyepiece (rather than the 8" with time drive and CCD cam).

Despite the cloud I was able to get images of almost up to Regulus going behind the Moon (it was just touching) before the cloud came over and blocked my view. Given the cloud, I didn't hang around for egress but went to bed. While my recorded almost occulataion time was 11:43:38 and the predicted time was 11:42:40 my camera clock is not accurate enough for this kind of timing.

So a successful occultation campaign. Let's hope the May 4 occultation of Regulus is clear.

Wednesday, February 08, 2017

The Sky This Week - Thursday February 9 to Thursday February 16

The Full Moon is Saturday February 11, it occults the bright star Regulus at this time. Venus
is prominent in the
twilight and early evening sky in the star poor regions of Pisces.
Mars is just above
Venus. Jupiter and
the bright star Spica
are
close in the late evening
skies. Saturn is high in the morning sky with Mercury close to the horizon below. Comet 45P may be visible in binoculars.

The Full Moon is Saturday February 11, it occults the bright star Regulus at this time.

The North-eastern horizon as seen from Adelaide at 23:00 ACDST, the
bright star Regulus is close to the Moon just before it is occuted.
Similar views will be seen elswhere in Australia at the equivalent local
time. Click to embiggen.

On the late evening of Saturday 11 February the bright star Regulus is
occulted by the Moon as seen from the most of Australia. This is the
first of two occultations of Regulus, the brightest star in the
constellation of Leo the lion, this year. The Moon is a very obvious
signpost for where to look and Regulus will be the brightest object near
the Moon. Further details, viewing hints and timings for major cities can be found here.

Evening sky on Saturday February 11 looking west as seen from Adelaide
at
21:17 ACDST (60 minutes after sunset). Venus and (now dim) Mars form a line. The inset shows the telescopic view of Venus at this time.

Similar
views will be seen throughout Australia at the equivalent local time
(that is 60 minutes after local sunset, click
to embiggen).

Venus
is high in the
dusk sky and intensely bright. It can be seen easily from somewhat
before half an hour after sunset to two hours after sunset. It
stays dazzlingly brilliant above the horizon in truly dark
skies well into the evening. Venus has been mistaken for flares or
landing aeroplanes it is so bright now.

Venus is in a very star poor field in Pisces. Venus
is a distinct "waning Moon" shape in telescopes.

Mars is in the western evening skies in Pisces. Mars remains in a star
poor area.

Mars was at opposition on May 22, 2016 and is still visibly dimming. While
still brighter than any of the nearby stars, it is much faded and not
immediately obvious, It is
no longer a modest telescope object. Mars is visible most of the evening
setting before midnight. In small telescopes Mars will be a
visible, but tiny, gibbous disk, however you are unlikely to see its
markings.

The
North-east horizon as seen in Australia at 22:00 pm ACDST (an hour and a
half after sunset) showing the location of Vesta
on Saturday February 4 (similar views will be seen elsewhere at the
equivalent local time, and hour and a half after sunset, click to
embiggen).

The asteroid Vesta is just past opposition, and this is a excellent time
to see one of the biggest asteroids in the solar system. At magnitude
6.8 it is easily viewable in binoculars. It is above the north-eastern horizon, and the bright stars of
Gemini, Castor and Pollux, form a triangle with it. Over the next few nights it will be between to kappa (𝛋) Geminorium and upsilon (𝜐) Geminorium making Vesta very easy of find. Kappa (𝛋) Geminorium is the next
brightest star in almost a line with Castor and Pollux, which makes it a
easy telescopic signpost. You may need to watch
night to night as the asteroid moves to be sure of its identity. For more details and a printable map see this page.

Sky on Wednesday February 15 looking east as seen from
Adelaide at midnight ACDST. Jupiter is now rising before midnight.
It is close to the bright star Spica and the waning Moon. The inset shows the telescopic view of Jupiter at this time. Similar
views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent
local time. (click
to embiggen).

Jupiterrises
even higher into the morning skies this week. It is now well above the
eastern horizon and is easy to see as the brightest object above the
northern horizon from around an hour and a half before
sunrise. It is also riging just before midnight, but remains low to the
horizon this week. It is close to the bright star Spica, the brightest
star in the constellation of Virgo. Jupiter is a good telescopic target
from around 1 am, and the dance of its Moons is
visible even in binoculars. The following Jupiter events are in AEDST.

Morning sky on Saturday February 4 looking east as seen from
Adelaide at 5:33 ACDST (60 minutes before sunrise). Saturn is
reasonably high above the horizon with Mercury just below it . The inset shows the telescopic view of Saturn at this time. Similar
views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent
local time (60 minutes before sunrise). (click
to embiggen).

Saturn
rises higher in darker morning skies this week. Saturn is now high
enough above eastern horizon to see easily. It continues to
climb into darker skies as the week progresses.

The constellation of Scorpio is a good guide to locating Saturn and
Mercury. The distinctive curl of Scorpio is easy to see above the
eastern horizon, locate the bright red star, Antares, and the look below
that towards the horizon, the next bright object is Saturn, followed by
Mercury.

Mercury is slowly returning towards the
horizon, this week is the last that it will be easily visible, by the end of the week it will be lost in the twilight.

Comet 45P on February 11 facing north-east at astronomical twilight in
the morning as seen for most of Australia. Click to embiggen.

Comet 45P is around magnitude 6.5 and is visible in binoculars and small telescopes in the early morning sky.
It is currently showing as a small fuzzy patch with no hint of a tail.

On February 11 the comet will be closest to Earth and the comet may be seen to move visibly during the morning skies.

There are lots
of interesting things in the sky to view with a telescope. If you don't have a telescope, now
is a good time to visit one of your local astronomical societies open nights or the local planetariums.

Tuesday, February 07, 2017

Comet 45P is closest to Earth of February 11, 2017

Comet 45P on February 11 facing north-east at astronomical twilight in the morning as seen for most of Australia. Click to embiggen.

Comet 45P is around magnitude 6.5 and is visible in binoculars and small telescopes in the early morning sky.

It is currently showing as a small fuzzy patch with no hint of a tail.

On February 11 the comet will be closest to Earth and the comet may be seen to move visibly during the morning skies. The comet will be in between the bright star Arcturus and the bright planet Saturn close to the north-eastern horizon just a binocular field below the brightish star ß Herculis (see chart below). On the 13th it will almost be in the centre of the distinctive curved constellation of Corona Borealis

Chart of the track of 45P, the large circle is the approximate field of view of 10x50 binoculars. Click to embiggen.

It rapidly fades after the 11th and by the end of February it is visible in telescopes only.

A B&W printable spotters map is available here . A B&W printable map suitable for binoculars is available here, the large circle is the approximate field of view of 10x50 binoculars.

The Moon Occults Regulus (11 February-12 February 2017)

The North-eastern horizon as seen from Adelaide at 23:00 ACDST, the bright star Regulus is close to the Moon just before it os occuted. Similar views will be seen elswhere is Australia at the equivalent local time. Click to embiggen.

The Moon at 23:43 pm ACDST in Adelaide on Saturday 11 February just before the Moon covers Regulus.

On the late evening of Saturday 11 February the bright star Regulus is occulted by the Moon as seen from the most of Australia. This is the first of two occultations of Regulus, the brightest star in the constellation of Leo the lion, this year. The Moon is a very obvious signpost for where to look and Regulus will be the brightest object near the Moon. Start watching about half an hour before hand to get set up and become familiar with the sky. Although this event is easily seen with the unaided eye, given the brightness of the Moon the occultation is best seen in a small telescope or binoculars.

Regulus will appear to "wink out" as it goes behind the bright limb of the Moon, reappearance will be harder to see as you have to be looking just at the right moment. The "Dark" limb of the Moon isn't particularly dark as the Moon is full.

The occultation occurs in the late evening 11th/just past midnight into the 12th (see table below), the Moon will be reasonably high above the north-eastern horizon. The Moon is easily visible and a ready signpost to Regulus.

If using a telescope, it is advisable to set up and practise on the Moon a day or so before the event, so you are familiar with your telescope set-up. Set up at least half an hour ahead of time so that you can be sure everything is working well and you can watch the entire event comfortably (trying to focus your telescope moments before the occultation will cause a lot of unnecessary stress). Regulus will be clearly visible with the unaided eye, binoculars or in a telescope near the Moon before the occultataion. Here's some images from an occultation of Spica back in 2013, so you know what to expect.

Wednesday, February 01, 2017

The Sky This Week - Thursday February 2 to Thursday February 9

The First Quarter Moon is Saturday February 4. Venus
is prominent in the
twilight and early evening sky in the star poor regions of Aquarius.
Mars is just above
Venus. The crescent Moon forms a line with Venus and Mars on
February 2. Jupiter and
the bright star Spica
are
close in the morning
skies with Saturn and Mercury close to the horizon below. Asteroid Vesta visible in binoculars.

The First Quarter Moon is Saturday February 4. The Moon is at perigee, when it is closest to the Earth, on the 6th.

Evening sky on Thursday February 2 looking west as seen from Adelaide
at
21:25 ACDST (60 minutes after sunset). Venus and (now dim) Mars form a line with the crescent Moon.

Similar
views will be seen throughout Australia at the equivalent local time
(that is 60 minutes after local sunset, click
to embiggen).

Venus
is high in the
dusk sky and intensely bright. It can be seen easily from somewhat
before half an hour after sunset to two hours after sunset. It
stays dazzlingly brilliant above the horizon in truly dark
skies well into the evening. Venus has been mistaken for flares or
landing aeroplanes it is so bright now.

Venus is in a very star poor field in Aquarius. Venus
is a distinct "half Moon" shape in telescopes. On the 2nd Venus, Mars and the crescent Moon form a line.

Mars is in the western evening skies in Aquarius, close to the Aquarius/Pisces border. Mars remains in a star
poor area.

Mars was at opposition on May 22, 2016 and is still visibly dimming. While
still brighter than any of the nearby stars, it is much faded and not
immediately obvious, It is
no longer a modest telescope object. Mars is visible most of the evening
setting before midnight. In small telescopes Mars will be a
visible, but tiny, gibbous disk, however you are unlikely to see its
markings.

The
North-east horizon as seen in Australia at 22:00 pm ACDST (an hour and a
half after sunset) showing the location of Vesta
on Saturday February 4 (similar views will be seen elsewhere at the
equivalent local time, and hour and a half after sunset, click to
embiggen).

The asteroid Vesta is just past opposition, and this is a excellent time
to see one of the biggest asteroids in the solar system. At magnitude
6.5 it is easily viewable in binoculars. It is above the north-eastern horizon, and the bright stars of
Gemini, Castor and Pollux, point to it. Over the next few nights it will be very close to kappa (𝛋) Geminorium,
making Vesta very easy of find. Kappa (𝛋) Geminorium is the next
brightest star in almost a line with Castor and Pollux, which makes it a
easy telescopic signpost. You may need to watch
night to night as the asteroid moves to be sure of its identity. For more details and a printable map see this page.

Sky on Saturday February 4 looking east as seen from
Adelaide at midnight ACDST. Jupiter is now rising before midnight.
It is close to the bright star Spica. The inset shows Itelescopic view of Jupiter at this time. Similar
views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent
local time. (click
to embiggen).

Jupiterrises
even higher into the morning skies this week. It is now well above the
eastern horizon and is easy to see as the brightest object above the
northern horizon from around an hour and a half before
sunrise. It is also riging just before midnight, but remains low to the
horizon this week. It is close to the bright star Spica, the brightest
star in the constellation of Virgo. Jupiter is a good telescopic target
from around 1 am, and the dance of its Moons is
visible even in binoculars. The following Jupiter events are in AEDST.

Morning sky on Saturday February 4 looking east as seen from
Adelaide at 5:33 ACDST (60 minutes before sunrise). Saturn is
reasonably high above the horizon with Mercury just below it . Similar
views will be seen elsewhere in Australia at the equivalent
local time (60 minutes before sunrise). (click
to embiggen).

Saturn
rises higher in darker morning skies this week. Saturn is now high
enough above eastern horizon to see easily. It continues to
climb into darker skies as the week progresses.

The constellation of Scorpio is a good guide to locating Saturn and
Mercury. The distinctive curl of Scorpio is easy to see above the
eastern horizon, locate the bright red star, Antares, and the look below
that towards the horizon, the next bright object is Saturn, followed by
Mercury.

Mercury is slowly returning towards the
horizon but is still readily visible this week.

There are lots
of interesting things in the sky to view with a telescope. If you don't have a telescope, now
is a good time to visit one of your local astronomical societies open nights or the local planetariums.